Let’s just put it out there from the get-go; I’m a late adopter of all things technical. I don’t own an iPod; hell, I never even had a CD player until I bought a used car that had one, and was amazed at how good the music sounded.

So it’s no surprise to my friends and acquaintances that I don’t yet have a Smart Phone, but I’m not entirely sure that’s a bad thing. Everyone that I know who DOES have one suffers from what I call “snap-down” neck.

In meetings or other gatherings where one speaker has the floor, everyone gives them their full attention (sort of), until the speaker says, “Let’s take a five-minute break.” Watch what happens: Everyone whips out their phone, drops their chin to their chest, and starts furiously scrolling and reading and texting.

I, being one of the few Luddites in the room, stretch, look around, see there’s no one to actually TALK with, and usually end up walking to the men’s room to splash my face and grab a drink. When I come back, the silent communication is ongoing, with everyone in his or her own little bubble, save for the few sharing the latest video they found online.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not some cranky old geezer, sitting on his porch and waving a fist at kids who trample his lawn. I started in technology when a 9600-baud modem was considered high-speed, and we used something called a PROFS system to send each other inter-office messages, even though our desks were about ten feet apart. I’m delighted that all this information and technology is now literally at our fingertips; we always secretly wanted one of those “communicators” that Captain Kirk had on the original “Star Trek” series, and now we have them.

But I’m also old enough to remember when people used to talk to one another, when a conversation had a beginning, middle and end, and LOL was a misspelling of a word that meant “to laze about.” I miss interacting with people face to face.

I’m exaggerating, of course; today’s business world dictates that we “speak” to each other almost 24/7. It’s considered a badge of honor to not only get emails at 3 in the morning, but to respond to them immediately as well. Welcome to the new reality.

But I also find that people have a real hunger for someone to actually speak
to them, while looking them in the eye. Having some experience in this, I’m usually the one to initiate a conversation, and find that people really like it. Asking something as simple as, “Any plans for the weekend?” initially elicits that deer-in-the-headlights look, as the person I’m asking usually has a “Wait; what?” reaction while they gather their thoughts.

But then they realize that this is that “conversation” they’ve heard or read about, and they suddenly welcome the chance to partake. They’ll eagerly talk about what plans they have, and if you express genuine interest, they’ll go on in detail about it. You get extra bonus points if you see them on Monday, and ask how it all panned out.

This technology we all use and enjoy is a wonderful thing that’s only going to get better as we learn to harness and master it. But we really mustn’t give up all the old ways simply to embrace the new. The two can peacefully co-exist, and should. Knowing how to converse face to face will come in handy the next time the Internet goes down. Or your battery dies.